Animal Crackers - Beware of Pink Chocolate Frogs
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Draco Malfoy casts a prank spell at all teachers and students assembled in the Great Hall. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to reverse it. Set in 5th year, completely AU, partly OOC, rating because of accidental character death of Umbridge.


**Animal Crackers - Beware of Pink Chocolate Frogs**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

_**Draco Malfoy**_

It was a cold and snowy November morning in Scotland, when the students and teachers at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast.

Fifth-year student Draco Malfoy did not take his usual seat between his best friends but sat at the far end of the Slytherin table, unbeknownst to his housemates, as he had cast an invisibility charm at himself before entering the Great Hall. Seeing that no one seemed to notice him, he unobtrusively waved his wand around the hall, casting a spell, which he had read about in an old tome with the title _'Most Efficient Pranks'_. Unfortunately, it had not said how to reverse the spell, but that should not be his problem.

Smirking, Draco observed how everyone in the Great Hall transformed into their Animagus forms. Those, who were not Animagi, were transfigured into the forms of their current or former familiars or pet animals. If there was someone, who did not own any kind of pet nor had their own Animagus form, the person was changed into a chocolate frog.

Only too late did Draco realise that he remained the only human being in the Great Hall and that some of the animals were shooting him murderous glares, especially coming from the snake, the cat, the wolf, the phoenix and the grim, who were occupying the Head table along with an apparently strawberry flavoured chocolate frog.

_'I hope my invisibility charm is working. The teachers are glaring at me as if they could look through it,_' he thought, not feeling exceptionally well in his current predicament. 'Are_ any of my friends in the hospital wing or remained in their dormitory?'_ he wondered, carefully skimming the animals at the Slytherin table; of course he knew many of the animals but not all. _'I'll just have to see. Oh well, it seems that I can't hide that it was me who played that prank, considering that I'm the only human right now, even if most of those dunderheads as Severus would say won't be able to see me through the charm. But I've no idea how to reverse it, and it seems that even those who are in their Animagus forms are unable to transform back. So those, who are not affected, provided that there are any, have to search for an antidote. Oh well, that was a stupid spell to cast.'_

Barely noticing that all the animals remained where they were, apparently waiting for someone to help them, he rose from his chair and returned to the Slytherin common room to see if any of his housemates were there.

Unfortunately, Draco could not find anyone. _'What am I going to do?'_ he thought, frantically. _'It's not as if the spell was going to wear off anytime soon, and remaining the only human being at Hogwarts for an infinite time is going to be extremely boring.'_

Unable to come up with a quick solution, Draco decided to call Dobby, his former house-elf.

"Dobby, I need your help," he spoke up, causing the elf to look at him wide-eyed.

"What cans Dobby do for Draco Malfoy?" Dobby queried with a blank expression.

"Dobby, is there anyone at Hogwarts, apart from Trelawney, Hagrid and Filch, who is still a human?" Draco asked, uncertainly playing with a cork, which had miraculously found the way into his robe pocket.

"Yes Draco Malfoy, Madam Pomfrey is in the hospital wing along with three students," Dobby informed him, smirking, before he popped away.

_'Surely Gryffindors, considering that grin on Dobby's face,' _Draco mused, groaning inwardly, as he slowly made his way out of the dungeons.

_**Harry Potter**_

Harry inwardly groaned, hearing that Madam Pomfrey stepped around his bed again. _'Ah, just leave me in peace,' _he thought in annoyance. _'This headache is too bad to tolerate anyone making a fuss about me.'_

However, the Healer's footsteps approached quickly until they stopped, when she had reached a spot between the three beds, which she had placed together in one corner of the hospital wing, seeing that all three students were suffering from the same illness and would have to remain in her care for a few weeks.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," she began to speak in a soft voice. "However, since all three of you are just awake at the same time, I'd like to explain a bit about this illness."

Harry opened his achy eyes just a little bit and listened to what the Healer told him, Hermione and their first-year housemate Bobby O'Brian about the flubberworm pertussis.

"The flubberworm pertussis is not feared for its dangerousness, but rather because it takes a long time to heal and goes along with an infection of the respiratory tract, a bad and very exhausting cough, a possibly high fever, and small pustules, which spread from the mouth to every other part of the body. The worse the illness becomes, the more the pustules spread. All magical children, who grew up in a magical environment, have been vaccinated against this disease at the age of two. There is no known cure for it, so that I can only give you fever reducers, pain relieving potions as well as a cream for the pustules outside of your mouth," the Healer continued, sighing. "You will be stuck here for at least two weeks, maybe longer. If and only if you don't have a headache and your fever is not too high, you may read if you want; however, you're not in a condition to do any school work. Is that clear?" She looked at Hermione, who shot the Healer a glare but nodded in understanding.

"Do we have to stay in bed the whole time?" Bobby asked, yawning. "I really don't feel so bad."

Pomfrey sighed. "If you think you're feeling well, you may get up; however, you must not leave the hospital wing," she informed her patients.

"Kay," Harry mumbled, fiercely rubbing his forehead, before he closed his achy eyes, only to open them again upon suddenly hearing Draco's voice.

HP

"Excuse me, Madame," Draco suddenly spoke up, stepping next to Pomfrey, who immediately tried to shoo him out of the area, which she had reserved for her three patients.

"I need these three to listen too," Draco said, smirking, and explained that everyone else at Hogwarts had been transfigured into animals and that he did not have any idea how to reverse the spell.

Harry inwardly groaned, completely agreeing when Hermione blurted out, "How stupid can one be, Malfoy?"

_'How dare he,'_ Harry mused. _'I wonder if he's going to be expelled over this. He doesn't look remorseful at all though, and how come that he expects us to help him with this. We're not in the hospital wing just for fun.'_

"Misty!" Pomfrey called her personal elf and told her about the matter, before she instructed her to check the castle for any other humans.

A minute later, Misty was back and informed the Healer, "Apart from the five of you, the only other humans are Mr. Filch, Hagrid and Professor Trelawney. Everyone else has been turned into animals. I tried to reverse the spell, but it's not possible."

"Very well, thank you Misty," Pomfrey replied, letting out a long sigh. "One hundred points from Slytherin," she uttered, before she instructed Draco, "Very well Mr. Malfoy, considering that my three patients are very ill and I'm busy looking after them, you'll have to do a lot of research in order to find a counter spell. Feel free to ask Professors Trelawney or Hagrid for help. Mr. Filch won't be of much assistance I'm afraid though," she added, almost maliciously.

"I?" Draco replied, flabbergasted. "I merely informed you, which doesn't mean that I'm going to do any research. It's not my problem."

"Another fifty points from Slytherin, and yes, Mr. Malfoy, you are going to do the research. You can deem yourself lucky if you get this in grip, before we have to inform the Ministry of Magic, which would surely provide you with a ticket to Azkaban," Pomfrey replied in a no-nonsense voice, which all students and teachers knew better than to disobey.

"Draco, bring me a pile of Charms books from the library, and I'm going to help you," Hermione offered gently, questioningly glancing at Harry.

"We're all going to help," Harry mumbled tiredly, glaring at the Slytherin in annoyance.

"Mr. Potter, you're not going to do anything right now," Pomfrey said in a stern voice, before she continued, pensively, "Please excuse me for a moment. I'll go to the Great Hall and speak with everyone. I hope that I'll be able to at least communicate with the Headmaster in my Animagus form." With that she strode away, taking Draco with her as she went.

_**Poppy Pomfrey**_

_'Each day these dunderheads come up with more annoying things,'_ Poppy mused, as she walked over to the Great Hall. _'I'd have thought Malfoy would be more intelligent.'_ With a combination of surprise and relief, she noticed that most of the animals were still gathered in the hall. _'Oh well, Malfoy closed the doors behind himself and no one had a chance to get out,'_ she realised.

"Dear students and colleagues," she addressed the animals, walking up to the Head table. "Can you understand me?" Seeing everyone nod reassuringly, she explained, "Mr. Malfoy cast a spell on all of you, which made you transform like this. Unfortunately, he doesn't know a counter spell, so that I'm afraid that you'll have to stay in these forms, until we find a solution. Please return to your common rooms or dormitories and stay there. I'll inform the portraits guarding the common rooms to let you in and out at all times, and I'll ask the house-elves to serve all meals here in the Great Hall for each kind of animal we have. The meal times will be announced through a Sonorus charm."

Seeing that everyone was hanging on her lips, she continued, "Apart from Mr. Malfoy, I have three students in the hospital wing, who will help Mr. Malfoy and myself to find a counter spell in order to help you as quickly as possible."

#Poppy, who are these students?# Dumbledore enquired from the Head table, where he was sitting on the table in his phoenix form.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. O'Brian," Poppy replied, glad that she was able to communicate with the Headmaster due to being a bird Animagus as well. "However, all three of them are very ill with the flubberworm pertussis."

Suddenly, the black garden snake with a green pattern on his back, of which she knew that it was Severus Snape in his Animagus form, caught her attention. The snake moved his head back and forth as if he wanted to communicate with her.

"Severus, is there anything you wish me to do?" she asked, giving the Potions Master a piercing look.

The snake nodded sharply and mumbled something in snake language.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I can't understand Parseltongue," she replied, regrettably.

#Poppy, take Severus with you to the hospital wing. Mr. Potter is able to speak and understand Parseltongue# the Headmaster trilled, pleasantly. #If anyone will be able to help us all, it'll be Severus.#

"That's for sure," Poppy replied, thoughtfully, before she turned back to the snake, realising that the Potions Master was not able to comprehend the Headmaster's trills. "Severus, Albus said you might want to visit Mr. Potter in the hospital wing, because he should be able to understand you."

The snake nodded again and wriggled its way down to the floor, where it slithered in the direction of the doors.

Poppy was just about to follow the Potions Master out of the Great Hall, when a small movement on the Head table caught her eye. A pink chocolate frog was haughtily walking around the Head table, trying to raise its head in an obvious attempt to attract her attention. _'Well, let's feign ignorance,'_ Poppy thought, realising that only Dolores Umbridge could have been transfigured into a strawberry flavoured chocolate frog._ 'All the other chocolate frogs have the usual chocolate colour,' _she noticed_. 'Oh well, thank Merlin that woman was in the Great Hall with everyone else. It would be a nightmare for me and the students if she was still around in her human form.'_

Recalling that she still had to inform Misty about the meal requirements for the animals, she followed the Potions Master out of the Great Hall, leaving the doors open, so that the animals would be able to return to their common rooms.

Arriving in the hospital wing, where she also left the door open for the time being, she led the snake to Harry's bed, before she returned to her office and spoke with Misty.

A few minutes later, an announcement could be heard all over the school. "To the portraits guarding the common rooms, all students have been transfigured into some kind of animal. Please let them in and out the common rooms at all times, since they won't be able to speak the password. The portraits guarding the teachers' private quarters, please let the owner of the rooms, which you guard, in and out for the same reason."

With that, Pomfrey once again headed to the area holding her only three patients for the time being. _'Maybe I better watch Severus and Harry before they kill each other. Severus must not aggravate Harry's condition. He seemed to be feeling quite awful earlier.'_ Only too late, she realised, horrified, that the unlike couple was just leaving the hospital wing through the open door.

_**Severus Snape**_

Severus slithered through the hospital wing to the far corner near Poppy's office, where he found her three patients fast asleep. _'Potter,'_ he mused in annoyance. _'Why does it have to be him of all people to be not affected by the spell and to be able to understand Parseltongue?'_ Taking in the boy's flushed face, he thought, _'Maybe I need to assign him detention. Otherwise, the pampered brat won't be willing to help anyway, let alone in the Potions classroom.' _Glancing at the other two beds, he thought, _'Granger would surely be more adequate to brew for me, but if so Potter would still have to translate. I better see if the dunderhead will manage to do something correctly for once. I'll have to watch his every move in any case.'_

Lacking his hands to shake the boy awake, Severus licked the boy's foot, which was looking out from under his covers, causing the boy to jerk awake.

"Hi therezz," Harry hissed in a sleepy voice. "You're beautiful, but who are you, and what can I do for you?"

"I'm Professor Sssnape," Severus hissed back quietly, so as not to wake the other two dunderheads. "I apologizzze for waking you up, but sseeing that you're the only person at Hogwarts, who isss able to communicate with me, I need you to come with me to the Potionsss classsroom."

"Of courssse sssir," Harry replied surprisingly gently and scrambled out of bed, rubbing his forehead in apparent agony.

Severus slithered ahead, nodding contentedly, when the boy swiftly followed him out of the hospital wing.

HP

"While the othersss will surely search for a ssspell to reversse the mayhem Draco has caused, we'll try to achieve the same with potionsss," he told the boy on the way to the Potions classroom.

"All right ssir," Harry replied, politely. "What would you like me to do, ssir?"

The snake let out a sound resembling a long sigh. "Firsst of all, you should brew a large batch of the Animagusss potion. This seemsss a good basse for the potion we need. The Animagusss potion iss on page 267 of thisss book." He raised his head, pointing to an old tome on the shelf.

Harry obediently took the book from the shelf and laid it in front of himself on the table. Fiercely rubbing his forehead, he studied the ingredients before he headed to the ingredients cupboard.

_'Can Potter even move slower?'_ Severus thought, impatiently, when he remembered that the boy was ill and supposed to rest in the hospital wing. _'Oh well, at least he's trying,'_ he calmed himself and curled up on the table next to the boy's working spot in order to be able to watch the dunderhead's every move.

To his surprise, the boy did not only prepare the ingredients in a proficient way, but also managed to brew the potion accurately and correctly.

"Well done, Mr. Potter, 10 pointssss to Gryffindor," Severus hissed, nodding his head in approval. "Now bottle the potion."

Seeing that the boy obeyed, he began to think of possibilities to adjust the potion to their need and was just about to give Potter instructions for the first experimental potion, when the fireplace flared and Poppy's face appeared in the flames.

"Severus, what do you think you're doing?" Poppy asked, glaring at him. "Mr. Potter was in my care. Do you think I'm keeping the students just because they want to miss classes? He's very ill. I don't mind him helping you if he feels well enough; however, an hour has passed already, and I know for a fact that he wasn't feeling well at all earlier. Therefore, I want him to return to the hospital wing now. If and only if he feels well enough later, he may help you trying to invent a potion again."

_'But the boy never complained,'_ Severus thought; however, knowing that he was unable to give the annoying Mediwitch, who happened to be his best friend, an adequate reply, he merely nodded and made the boy clean up his work space.

"Seeing that Madam Pomfrey is missing you dearly, I suggessst that I take you back to the hosspital wing," he hissed, causing Harry to nod.

"All right, ssir. I'll assk her later if I may help you again," the boy promised, as he finished cleaning the desk.

_**Fred & George Weasley**_

#Fred?#

#George?# his twin brother replied, giving him a questioning look. The two grey parrots were sitting on the window sill of the Gryffindor common room, looking out onto the snowy grounds.

#Don't you think it's way too boring here?# George queried, looking at his brother in expectation.

#Oh well,# Fred replied, thoughtfully fluffing his feathers. #Do you have any idea for a good prank?#

George chuckled. #Let's fly to the Great Hall a bit earlier this morning. You know Umbridge's a chocolate frog, right?#

#Yeah,# Fred said, grinning. #Any prank for that bitch is a good one,# he added, giving his twin an expectant look. #We're really obliged to revenge our Harrykins, aren't we?#

#Do you think we can grab a frog by the ears and fly it around for a little while? I know it sounds like a bad prank, but considering what she did to Harry...#

#... she deserves it if not worse,# Fred agreed.

The two grey parrots flew down the large staircase and straight into the Great Hall, realising with excitement that the pink chocolate frog was the only being occupying the Head table yet.

#Now,# George instructed his brother, #I take her right side, you the left.# With that the two parrots flew over the Head table, each grabbing one of the chocolate frog's ears.

_'Thank Merlin she can't speak,'_ Fred thought, as he flew around in coordination with his twin. _'Otherwise she'd make a huge ruckus.'_

By now, almost all teachers and students in their animal forms were assembled in the Great Hall, and everyone was watching the parrots' flight with the chocolate frog with a combination of amusement and confusion.

However, all of a sudden, the pink chocolate frog began to vomit. _'Yuck,'_ the twins thought, before they realised that the reactions coming from their spectators on the ground sounded more like enthusiasm. When they decided to fly a little lower, they saw that Umbridge in her chocolate frog form was in fact vomiting tiny pink chocolate frogs. Most of the animals left their seats and tables and began to catch the small chocolate frogs.

_'This is some fun... finally,'_ the twins thought, noticing that everyone on the ground seemed to thoroughly enjoy the situation.

However, all of a sudden, the Headmaster's voice penetrated their ears. #Messrs. Weasley, please come back down here and return the chocolate frog to where it belongs.#

Grinning at each other, the twins returned a collective #Yes sir# and obediently placed the chocolate frog back onto the Head table right in front of the phoenix turned Headmaster.

#Thank you my boys,# Dumbledore trilled, and the twins noticed that his eyes were twinkling happily. #The small chocolate frogs were delicious, even if I'd have preferred lemon flavour# the Headmaster added, trilling a funny melody.

#We'll remember that...#

#... and see what we can do,# the twins promised, grinning mischievously.

_**Ron Weasley**_

Ron Weasley woke up and slowly stretched his limbs, realising that he felt famished. His twin brothers in the form of grey parrots as well as his sister Ginny in her owl form were still sleeping next to him. On the other side, he was snuggled against Neville and his toad familiar, the only other animals in Gryffindor, with whom he was able to communicate.

Last night, Neville had told him a strange story. His toad familiar had told him that he was not a real toad. In fact, he was his Uncle Algie, whom his granny had transfigured into a toad. Uncle Algie was unable to transform back, and he had asked Neville to require Professor McGonagall's help as soon as everyone was back to their human forms. Ron had not completely understood the whole story; however, Neville seemed to be very happy about the news.

_'I hope it's time for breakfast soon,' _Ron thought. _'I'm starving.'_ Glancing around, he realised that most of his housemates were still sleeping; however, others seemed to have already left; therefore, he decided to check the Great Hall. _'It takes me ages to get there anyway,'_ he thought, grumpily, as he left the common room.

To his relief, the doors to the Great Hall stood wide open, and he hurried towards the Gryffindor table, using one of the small ladders that the house-elves had prepared for the different kinds of animals to climb up onto the table. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of food on the tables, and Ron groaned in annoyance.

_'Why did Malfoy have to transfigure me into a rat of all animals?'_ he wondered. _'Any other animal would have been better. Hermione and Harry are so lucky to be in the hospital wing in their human forms. I wished I was with them. And Ginny has the twins and can speak with them. I can't even ask Mum to take me home, because I can't communicate with anyone.' _

Unable to find any other aspect to pity himself for the time being, he let his eyes wander around the Great Hall, realising a few chocolate frogs enter the Great Hall together with other animals.

_'Are they real chocolate frogs?'_ he wondered. _'I really need one of those. I'm famished.'_ He slowly made his way back down from the Gryffindor table to take a closer look at the chocolate frogs. However, unfortunately, most of them had already climbed onto House tables, and Ron was just about to return to the Gryffindor table, when a pink chocolate frog that was slowly hopping towards the Head table caught his eye.

_'That one looks especially delicious,'_ he thought, _'it probably remained after the twins' prank from yesterday. Since when can chocolate frogs do more than one jump? I didn't know that there were pink chocolate frogs at all. It must be a new invention. We'll need to check that out, when we're going to be in Hogsmeade the next time.' _

He slowly made his way over to the head table and stopped in front of the pink chocolate frog. To his surprise, the chocolate frog tippled on his back legs and stared at him as if it wanted to tell him something.

=Pity that you can't talk,= he sneered, knowing that a chocolate frog wouldn't be able to understand rat language, and was just about to take a bite from one of the front legs, when a tabby cat appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

_'Is that McGonagall?'_ Ron wondered, when his rat instincts told him to back up in fright. Taking a few hasty steps backwards, he stumbled against the pink chocolate frog, which hurriedly backed up as well. An instant later, the rat and the pink chocolate frog together fled from under the Head table and hid under the Slytherin table, knowing that they had no chance against a cat.

_**Hermione Granger**_

Hermione sighed in relief, as Madam Pomfrey finally left the hospital wing after informing them that she had to speak with the Headmaster and that it might take a while.

"Harry, I'll be back in a few minutes," she informed her best friend, who cast her a worried look.

"Where are you going?" he asked in concern. "You don't look as if you should go anywhere right now."

Hermione let out a long sigh. "I know," she admitted, "but I need to go to the library for a few minutes. I'll be back soon."

Holding on to the wall in order to fight the dizziness, Hermione dragged herself out of the hospital wing in order to search the library for some more adequate books for her research. _'I wished I could go out onto the grounds,'_ she mused, _'the snow looks so cool and inviting.'_

Suddenly, she found herself face to face with a well-known tabby cat.

"Professor McGonagall," she said, smiling at her favourite professor. "Is everything all right?"

The feline shook her head and turned in the other direction, before she looked back, waiting, as if she wanted Hermione to follow her.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione enquired, letting out a series of harsh coughs.

The cat nodded, and Hermione slowly followed the professor. _'I wonder where she's going to take me. I can't even communicate with her. Maybe I should study to become an Animagus before concentrating on the research for a spell,'_ she thought as she obediently followed the feline professor upstairs.

She almost stumbled over the cat, when the feline suddenly stopped in front of a painting of an old couple, who were having a picnic in a garden together with two cats and a dog.

=Hello,= McGonagall addressed the witch in the painting. =I'm sorry to disturb you. Do I remember correctly that you're a cat Animagus?=

"Yes dear, how can I help you?" the old witch asked in a kind voice.

=Can you please translate for my student here what I'm going to tell you now?= McGonagall queried and, receiving a positive reply, began to explain.

=This morning, when I entered the Great Hall for breakfast, I observed that a grey rat, coming from the direction of the Gryffindor table, chased a pink toad under the Head table, and just when I was about to go between the two to separate them, they both fled under the Slytherin table, where the rat decided to devour the toad.=

She patiently waited, while the old lady translated the story for Hermione, who gave her a horrified look.

=I assume that the rat is Mr. Weasley and the toad Professor Umbridge. Please inform Madam Pomfrey about this and make her tell the Headmaster.=

"All right Professor," Hermione replied, wondering if she had understood the matter correctly or if she was delirious. "Excuse me Professor, did I understand it correctly that Ron completely ate Professor Umbridge?"

=Yes, he devoured her with gusto,= McGonagall explained, waggling her tail in apparent annoyance. =Good riddance though,= she added as an afterthought.

"Okay then, I'll inform Madam Pomfrey," Hermione promised and profusely thanked the witch in the painting for her help, before she slowly made her way back to the hospital wing. _'The library just has to wait,'_ she thought, not feeling well enough to be up and about any more and very eager to tell Harry the good news. _'He'll be so happy,'_ she thought, _'knowing that he'll never have to use that annoying quill anymore.'_

HP

Sighing in relief upon noticing that Madam Pomfrey was still not back from her discussion with the Headmaster that had enabled her to leave the hospital wing in the first place, she returned to her bed and lay down right away.

"Mione, you all right?" Harry queried, giving her a concerned look.

"Oh well..." she replied, before she told her best friend what she had heard from her Head of House.

"Ron ate Umbridge?" Harry repeated in disbelief. "Mione, are you sure that you aren't delirious?"

"Maybe, but McGonagall really said so," Hermione said in a firm voice, before she lay down again and drifted off to a much needed healing sleep within instants.

HP

When the Healer returned a few minutes later, Harry relayed the message, causing Pomfrey to wave her wand over the girl in concern.

"She's very ill today, but I don't think that she's delirious," she finally said. "I'll go and ask Professor McGonagall if it's true, and then I'll inform the Headmaster."

_'It would be too good to be true,'_ Harry mused, looking at his left hand as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

_**Argus Filch**_

Argus Filch strode through the corridors, which were empty apart from the occasional animal. _'I need to speak with Malfoy,'_ he thought, as he made his way back from the dungeons, followed by his familiar cat and his house-elf in her invisible form.

'It must be my lucky day,' he thought, when he met the boy near the library. "Malfoy," he addressed the boy, who looked at him with disdain but refrained from speaking. "Tell me the spell that you used on everyone," he instructed him.

Malfoy stared at him in disbelief, before he replied, "And why might that be sir? What would a Squib want to do with a spell?"

Argus returned a glare and queried, "Will you obey or do I have to make you do as I said?"

Malfoy let out a snort. "And how will a Squib make a wizard obey?"

The caretaker pulled his wand out of his inner robe pocket, noticing with pleasure how the boy visibly paled. Casting a silencing charm around themselves, Argus explained, "I'm not a Squib but a spy for the Department of Magical Mysteries, and you can deem yourself lucky if you won't be sent to Azkaban for what you did. And now inform me of the spell you cast. If anyone will be able to reverse it, it's the Department of Magical Mysteries."

"Can you prove it?" Malfoy had the gall to ask. However, when Argus once again pulled his wand and pointed it at the fifth-year, he quickly agreed. "All right; I found the spell in a book."

Together, they headed to the library, where Draco searched for the spell and handed the book to Filch, eyeing the older man in apparent confusion.

_'Confusion is the best,'_ Argus mused, as he released Malfoy, observing how the boy strode towards the door, before he pointed his wand at him from behind, casting a silent spell. "Obliviate."

With that he returned to his office to inform his department of the situation and ask for the counter spell.

_**Albus Dumbledore**_

Albus was peacefully chatting with his familiar Fawkes, discussing if there might be a way to adjust lemon drops to phoenix treats, when the Healer, the scariest person in Hogwarts in his opinion, maybe along with his deputy, demanded entrance into his office.

#Hello Poppy, what can I do for you?# he queried, gently offering the Healer a lemon drop.

"No thank you Albus," she replied in a stern voice. "There's something I need to discuss with you," she then continued and explained how Ronald Weasley had eaten Dolores Umbridge. "There are also several students in chocolate frog forms, and I believe that it would be safer for them if we sent Ronald Weasley home for the time being."

#Yes, maybe that would be for the best,# Albus replied, thoughtfully. #What's Mr. Malfoy doing by the way? Is he working on finding a counter spell?#

The Healer let out a long sigh. "No Albus, he uses to show up in the hospital wing once a day, only to begin quarrels with Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter, who are both trying to find a solution to the problem in spite of being very ill."

All of a sudden, the fireplace flared, and Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt stepped through the Floo.

"Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey," the Aurors greeted them, before they explained that they had come to take Draco Malfoy with them.

#Where are you going to take the boy and why?# Albus queried in surprise, giving Poppy a grateful look, when she translated for him.

"He's going to be held in a Ministry cell for the time being," Shacklebolt replied. "He'll have to face a trial, and - depending on the outcome - he might receive a one-way ticket to Azkaban. With the spell he cast, he is endangering Hogwarts greatly, considering that it would be easy for You-Know-Who to attack the castle with only a few children, a half-giant and a Squib present apart from a whole lot of helpless animals."

_'Oh no, how did word of what happened travel to the Ministry?'_ Albus wondered, horrified, absentmindedly realising that Poppy instructed a house-elf to fetch Draco Malfoy. _'I just hope the Minister will leave us in peace.'_

HP

A few minutes later, Draco Malfoy entered the room, and Albus observed with mixed feelings how the Aurors took the boy with them. On the one hand, he did not overly like the boy, but on the other hand, he could not feel happy about the fact that one of his students was being taken into custody.

When the Aurors had left with the fifth-year, he turned to the Healer. #Poppy, is any progress being made about a counter spell or potion? Are Severus and Harry getting along?#

Poppy let out a long sigh. "They seem to get along too well for my liking," she explained. "Whenever I'm absent for a few minutes, Harry sneaks out of the hospital wing in order to test more potions with Severus. I hope they'll succeed soon. Very well then, I'm going to call Mrs. Weasley and explain the situation to her."

#All right Poppy. Thank you,# Albus replied, before he returned to his conversation with Fawkes.

_**Dobby**_

The elf lingered in one corner of the Potions classroom like he always used to do when Harry was there, just to be certain that nothing bad happened when his Harry Potter was brewing test potions only in the company of the Potions Master in form of a snake. Of course, Dobby made sure that he always remained invisible, so as not to alert Harry Potter or anyone else of his presence.

All of a sudden, he noticed Tipsy, the Squib caretaker's house-elf, pop into the classroom. Just like himself, the other elf quietly observed what was happening at the front of the classroom. _'I wonder what the Squib's elf is doings here,'_ he thought in confusion that changed into surprise when he felt the other elf cast magic. _'What did she do now?'_ he wondered, before he turned back to Harry and the Potions Master, who had just turned back into his human form after sipping the newest potion that Harry had brewed.

"That's it Mr. Potter," he heard the Potions Master say to Harry. He also thanked him profusely and cleaned up the classroom with a flick of his wand, before he informed the boy that he'd take him back to the hospital wing.

'Thank Merlin now I don't have to watch Harry brew all on his own every day anymore,' Dobby thought and popped away, just when Tipsy and the two wizards left the room as well.

_**Minerva McGonagall**_

_'I hope either Harry and Severus or Ms. Granger are going to find a counter soon,'_ Minerva thought, as she made her way into the Great Hall for lunch in her feline form.

To her surprise, there was no food on the tables yet. Only a small bowl with a strange, orange liquid was waiting on the tables in front of everyone's seat. She sniffed once, but her feline instincts told her that the liquid was not overly appealing. She looked up in confusion that turned into huge relief, when she saw Severus enter the Hall in his human form, followed by Harry. _'They did it,'_ she thought, happily, feeling incredibly proud of her little lion.

When everyone else was sitting on the chairs or tables, depending on their forms, Severus addressed everyone. "Please drink the potion that you find in front of yourselves so that you'll be transformed back into your human forms."

Everyone eagerly complied. Minerva hastily sipped the potion out of the bowl in front of herself, expecting the transformation to take place immediately. However, only a few seconds after she had finished her potion and jumped down from the table onto her chair, did she feel her limbs return to her human form, just when everyone else was changed back as well.

Minerva observed Albus raise from his chair._ 'It's good to have him back,'_ she thought, smiling at her good, old friend.

"Dear students, Professor Snape and Harry have managed to develop and brew a potion that made us transform back into our usual forms. Therefore, I award the Order of Hogwarts first class to both, Professor Snape and Harry, for their help for our school in utmost need. And now tuck in and enjoy getting back to normal life. Classes will resume on the day after tomorrow."

_'Thank Merlin we can go back to normal life,'_ Minerva thought, smiling when the food popped up on the tables.

_**Mrs. Norris**_

The cat grumpily eyed her familiar. =It's completely unfair,= she growled. =You deserve the Order of Hogwarts and not them. They didn't succeed at all.=

Filch merely smiled at the feline, looking very contented. "It's all right, Mrs. Norris. I don't want to be found out, and Professor Snape and Harry have both done so much for the school already without getting any reward at all that they really deserve it, even if for other reasons. In fact, I'm very pleased how we managed to fool everyone and all above got to put Draco Malfoy into prison. That alone was worth it already."

=Oh well, that's true,= Mrs. Norris agreed and watched how the caretaker took a parchment and a quill and wrote a letter to the Department of Magical Mysteries.

'_Mission accomplished. Thanks for the help. Greatly appreciated,'_ he wrote, before he stood from his chair.

"Come on, Mrs. Norris, let's take this to the owlery," he suggested, before he left his office in his usual caretaker behaviour that efficiently made everyone believe that he was a Squib.

_'Thank Merlin everyone is back to their usual selves,'_ she mused, as she followed her familiar through the bustling halls.

"By the way, I believe that you need some praise for not eating any of the rats, toads and chocolate frogs," Filch said to her, when they reached the owlery.

=Oh yes, I hope that you appreciate it,= Mrs. Norris replied, longingly remembering the treasures that had been running around the castle during the last few weeks. =If you'd excuse me now, I'd like to spend some quality time in the dungeons chasing some real rats.= Seeing the wizard nod, she sighed in relief and dashed away, finally really feeling at home again.

**The End**


End file.
